Lhasa Gonggar International Airport
Shannan (Gonggar), China
Lhasa Gonggar International Airport
Tibet's gateway airport, among the world's highest.
- ›Situated at approximately 3,570 meters (11,713 feet) above sea level, one of the world's highest commercial airports.
- ›Located about 60 kilometers south of Lhasa city center in the Yarlung Tsangpo River valley.
- ›Foreign visitors and most Chinese citizens require a special Tibet Travel Permit to enter the region.
- ›High altitude requires special aircraft performance calculations and limits some aircraft types.
- ›Opened in 1965, initially as a military airfield before civilian operations expanded.
Lhasa Gonggar International Airport serves as the primary air gateway to Tibet Autonomous Region, situated in Shannan (Gonggar) County approximately 62 kilometres south of Lhasa city. Opened in 1965, it is one of the highest commercial airports in the world at an elevation of roughly 3,600 metres above sea level. The airport plays a critical strategic and cultural role, connecting this remote Himalayan plateau to major Chinese cities and facilitating tourism to sacred Tibetan landmarks.
- Terminal 1 — The original terminal handling domestic arrivals and departures with traditional Tibetan architectural accents.
- Terminal 2 — Newer expanded terminal built to accommodate growing passenger traffic with modern facilities and improved gate capacity.
- Airport shuttle buses to Lhasa city centre (approx. 1–1.5 hours)
- Taxi and ride-hailing services to Lhasa (negotiated fares recommended)
- Private car transfers arranged through hotels
- Long-distance highway buses serving Shannan and surrounding areas
- Car rental counters available at the terminal
- Tibet Gonggar Airport Hotel
- Holiday Inn Express Lhasa
- St. Regis Lhasa Resort
- Brahmaputra Grand Hotel Lhasa
- Lhasa Hotel (Tibet Hotel)
Food options inside the airport are limited, featuring a small selection of Tibetan staples such as tsampa, butter tea, and momos alongside standard Chinese snacks and fast food outlets. Outside the terminal, the town of Gonggar offers modest local eateries serving hearty Tibetan and Sichuan dishes. Most travellers opt to eat in Lhasa city, which offers a far wider range of restaurants including vegetarian Tibetan cuisine.
- All foreign visitors must hold a China visa plus a Tibet Travel Permit — arrange the permit well in advance through a registered Tibetan travel agency.
- Altitude sickness is a serious concern at 3,600 m; rest on arrival, stay hydrated, and avoid strenuous activity for the first 24–48 hours.
- The airport road to Lhasa runs through a long tunnel and scenic river valley — carry cash as card acceptance along the route is unreliable.
- Temperatures drop sharply at night year-round; pack warm layers even if visiting in summer.
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Lhasa Gonggar International Airport also known as Lhasa Konggar International Airport is the airport serving Lhasa, the capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. It is about 97 kilometres (60 mi) to Lhasa and about 62 kilometres (39 mi) southwest of the city in Gyazhugling, Gonggar County of Shannan.
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